Metal fastening device.



SAMUEL E. WARD, OF ALLEN, NEBRASKA.

METAL FASTENING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April '7, 1908.

Application filed October 8, 1907. Serial No. 396,471.

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.'

Be itknown that l, SAMUEL E. WARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Allen, in the county of Dixon and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful lm rovements in Metal Fastening Devices, of) which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to metal fastening devices adapted for securing a plurality of letters and similar articles, more particularly to devices of this character adapted for the use of letter carriers to temporarily hold mail matter, and has for its object to provide a simply constructed and easily applied device of this character, as hereafter shown and described, ,and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of embodiment of the invention, and in the drawings thus employed, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a package of letters with the improved device applied. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the improved device in its disconnected form. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the improved device in its coupled form and detached from the articles to which it is to be applied.

The improved device is preferably constructed from a single piece of wire and comprises a body or bar portion 10 bent into coils 11-12 at the ends and then continued from the coils in the form of arms 13-14, the arms terminating in reversely extending hooks 15-16.

When the device is designed for holding envelops the space between the coils 11-12 will correspond to the width of these envelops, and it is obvious that the device may l be constructed of a size adapted to hold 40 articles of various sizes, but for the urpose of illustration it is shown applied to an ordinary package of envelops, indicated at 17. In using the device, the package of envelops is inserted between the coils 141-12 45 with the bar 10 at one side of the package and the arms 13-14 extending over the other side in the position shown in FiO. 2 and with their` terminal portions overlap ing. The two arms 18-14 are then depressedJ and 50 the hooked ends 15-16 interlocked with the adjacent portions of the arms, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, thus firmly securing the device to the package 17, and holding the same firmly. When the package is to be released, it is only necessary to disconnect one of the hooks 15 or 16, as will be obvious.

The device is very simple in construction, can be inexpensively manufactured, and manufactured in various sizes, and will be found very useful and convenient for the purposes described.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is As a new article a device of the class de 55 scribed formed from a single piece of wire with spaced coils intermediate thereof and with the terminals of the wire bent into oppositely extending hooks, the portions between the coils and hooked terminals adapted to be overlapped with the hooks inter locking with said over-lapped portions.

In testimony whereof l aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL E. WARD.

Witnesses:

V. W. McDoNALn, DAVID TUNNING. 

